


A Matter of Sync

by ubiquitousLinguist



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-21 14:57:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1554452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ubiquitousLinguist/pseuds/ubiquitousLinguist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dancing had not always come easily to you, but dancing with Kanaya has never been anything short of second nature. Your issue had been your domineering leadership. Most trolls seemed to find it difficult to keep up with your irregular, powerful strides, but Kanaya’s always fallen perfectly in sync with you. This was the woman, you were reminded with every glint of her fangs, who moirailed for your ex-kismesis who was mercurial at best and brutal at worst. Kanaya was the most durable troll you’ve ever met, something you could say with confidence after shooting her point-blank and watching her manage to walk away from that. You were impressed. Again, you didn’t think she had it in her. </p><p>But simply because she could withstand anything hurled at her doesn’t mean that she ought to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Matter of Sync

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nanibgal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanibgal/gifts).



She isn’t paying attention. This immediately became clear to you the moment her normally sharp eyes glassed over. Her trained gaze slid from yours unbidden across your face, along your shoulder, and eventually came to rest just to your side in an unfocused daze.

This is unremarkable in and of itself – her movements don’t suffer for her lack of attention, and the knowledge that your dancing with her is now so deeply ingrained as to be natural to her unfurls a flush of self-satisfied pleasure under your cool skin that goes unnoticed by your partner. What is remarkable is her ability to lose herself tonight of all nights. Feferi’s coronation as Empress was a less than ideal time to find oneself lost in thought, especially as a Jadeblood in her Fuchsian lover’s court.

The three of you had been decent friends before the clusterfuck that was Sgrub, and thankfully the unresolved tensions that came to a head between the lot of you in the game served as some pretty serious talking points after you’d reunited upon victory. The apocalyptic nature of the game created a space wherein communicating about and resolving these issues became important. Feferi had frostily insisted on not pushing a formal relationship with you, and considering all the ragtime bullshit between you and Sollux, you could hardly blame a girl for that.

(Though it was entirely Sollux’s fault for picking fights with you all the time and you would never come down from that righteous mountain. Ever. Fucking nookstain.)

Weaving between the pairs of only half-interested rich people, you allow her to get lost in her own world nonetheless. You won’t let her bump into anyone, and you square your shoulders as you navigate her compact frame through a crowd of particularly indulgent partygoers. You shoot Kanaya a weird grimace when she fails to notice the rowdiness of the group at all. When’d she get this comfortable with you, anyway? Your torso still recalls the chew of her chainsaw, and the sound of your blowing her insides out still echo in your dreams, not that you’d ever admit to her as much. Emotional theatrics are one thing, but baiting a beast is another thing entirely. Though you’re headstrong and confident, you’re never so foolish as to make the same colossal mistake twice.

Despite your destroying her sole purpose in life – or perhaps because you’d created a rallying point for her, you were still a bit hazy about how she felt about the entire ordeal but strategically chose not to push it – your relationship with Kanaya hadn’t suffered by the time you’d completed the game. You suspect that most of what she had to say on the subject of your behavior had been voiced in the roar of her chainsaw. Seemed fair enough to you.

The other thing you couldn’t ignore was that Kanaya was a different troll than the one who’d sit up late in the day to read trashy novels about make believe shit and lying to herself about the contents of her bloodpusher instead of investing her time in a more respectably intellectual pursuit. Rather, the person you’d messaged under the pretext of reading her the riot act for blatantly ignoring your appeals for cavalry troops on the Land of Wrath and Angels simply told you up front that you’d been right about her passivity, and that she’d been a bit foolish for ignoring the parts of herself that she simply didn’t want to look at.

She also handed your ass to you on a silver platter for your behavior in game, but that you expected. Regardless, Kanaya had grown. Frankly, you didn’t think she had it in her. Trolls who stubbornly shove their heads in the sand tend to live their entire miserable lives that way, and as a result they let grandeur pass them right by. Fussyfangs was indubitably one of the most frustratingly stubborn trolls you’ve ever had to deal with. You’ve never been the type to let any opportunity slip out of your grasp, however. Though you were unapologetic about your shrewd realism in the game, a glance down at Kanaya’s delicate hand entwined with yours reminded you that you’d grown yourself.

Dancing had not always come easily to you, but dancing with Kanaya has never been anything short of second nature. Your issue had been your domineering leadership. Most trolls seemed to find it difficult to keep up with your irregular, powerful strides, but Kanaya’s always fallen perfectly in sync with you. This was the woman, you were reminded with every glint of her fangs, who moirailed for your ex-kismesis who was mercurial at best and brutal at worst. Kanaya was the most durable troll you’ve ever met, something you could say with confidence after shooting her point-blank and watching her manage to walk away from that. You were impressed. Again, you didn’t think she had it in her. 

But simply because she could withstand anything hurled at her doesn’t mean that she ought to.

You’re careful to steer her out of the way of a stumbling indigo-blood, shooting them a scathing look and an acerbic suggestion to wwatch wwhere the fuck their dumb ass is steppin’.

At the sound of your voice, Kanaya resurfaces from her waking dreamworld with a straightening of her spine and a swivel of her head to catch up your gaze once more, and you’re blisteringly resentful of the indigo-blood for robbing you of your ability to sustain her fantasy for as long as you could have otherwise. She smiles politely up at you, and it’s clear from her face that she’s hoping she duped you into not realizing her mind was elsewhere. You sigh. Women.

“Fef’s been watchin’ us,” you tell her instead of voicing your curiosity. You’ve learned in subtle signals not to bother asking where her mind was. With Kanaya Maryam, she could have been anywhere in the universe.

She brightens at this, though her expression remains attentively schooled. “That’s not exactly abnormal.” Her slate eyes rove your face slowly, and though it’s clear she’s just gathering her next thoughts, you find yourself colouring under her penetrative stare and wish she’d just be out with it. As much as you love being front and center, you aren’t quite used to being looked at so intently.

“You’ve been more introspective lately yourself. Are you… Is everything alright?” You’re torn between amusement at the obvious discomfort written in the viridian tint of her cheeks and pursing of her lips at the thought of talking about _feelings_ , and sheer shock at Kanaya’s being the first to bring something like that up. The two of you have shared a quiet understanding since you resumed communique because Kanaya’s always been uncomfortable with her own emotions, and you haven’t felt like pushing the envelope with her quite yet.

You realise with a jump of your bloodpusher that this is her way of opening the floor to conversation about your unmistakably pale mutual leanings. But as you swerve out from a near-collision with a pair of extraordinarily clumsy trolls and Kanaya’s hand at your shoulder tightens instinctively, you’re forced to admit that now is probably not the time.

“Look Kan, as thrilled as I am that you’re willing to look your wildly pale attraction to me in the face at long last, we’re going to have to chat about our deep and soulful emotions when we’ve got some more privacy, know what I mean?” You give her the most significant look you can muster up with Feferi’s eyes boring holes into your back.

Kanaya rolls her eyes emphatically, but looks grateful for the short reprieve. “Yes, those words are exactly the ones that I said just now. It’s unbelievable, my patience with you.”

“What’s unbelievable is that Fef hasn’t had me thrown out for monopolizin' you half the night.” The notion isn’t far from the newly crowned Empress’ thinkpan, if the expression that crosses Kanaya’s face after sharing a glance with the fuchsia-blood is any indication. You exhale in a long-suffering sigh.

“Mmm, I had best get back to her. Tonight is quite stressful for her, as I’m sure you can imagine.” You slow to a stop and step back, and the air that comes to inhabit the space between you feels like an alien entity. Kanaya’s hands predictably move to fiddle awkwardly with her jewelry. “Will you be around for much longer, do you suppose?”

The longer you hang about, the more dances you can wheedle out of Kanaya, who seemed almost insultingly surprised at your skill and fluidity of movement the first time you danced together. “Well yeah, I gotta give these ignorant brinesuckers a taste of class. Seriously Kan, did you see that indigo-blood who nearly sailed right into us?”

She hadn’t, of course.

But she promised to save the last dance for you, and all things considered, you’d call that one a win.


End file.
